Wanted / Death Race / Doomsday

WantedLoosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, Wanted, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.Straying rather far from the Wanted comic's supervillain-centric premise, Wanted runs with the edgy Eastern European aesthetic of Russian helmer Bekmambetov, who garnered international recognition with the stylish vampire epic Night Watch. While Jolie is a gleefully destructive presence in her action-heavy scenes, the film belongs to McAvoy, who transforms from milquetoast to man hunter with verve and charm. And like the similarly themed The Matrix before it, Wanted also showcases some eye-catching special effects, most notably in the loopy concept of 'curving bullets'. Though devotees of the Wanted comic may be dismayed with the many liberties taken with the story, the movie is undeniably energetic and entertaining, making it fun summer blockbuster fare.Death RaceProducer Roger Corman's cult classic film Death Race 2000 gets a millennium overhaul with director Paul W.S. Anderson (Event Horizon, Resident Evil) behind the wheel. Jason Statham (The Transporter, The Bank Job) plays Jensen Ames, a prisoner who is serving a sentence for a crime that he didn't commit. But in this futuristic society, Ames can compete for his freedom with a victory in a brutal three-day race.Joan Allen (The Ice Storm, The Bourne Supremacy), Tyrese Gibson (Baby Boy, 2 Fast 2 Furious) and Ian McShane (Hot Rod, TV's Deadwood) co-star in this high octane chase film.Doomsday27 years after the deadly reaper virus kills millions, the disease erupts in London and threatens to wipe out the entire population. Hope lies with an elite fighting unit led by the deadly and beautiful Major Sinclair (Rhona Mitra)... but they have only 48 hours to find a cure in a devastated post-apocalyptic zone controlled by murderous gangs with a taste for human flesh!Loaded with ferocious fights, cannibal carnage and hair-raising chases, Doomsday grabs you by the throat and won't let go until the explosive end! Also stars Sean Pertwee (Dog Soliders), David O'Hara (Wanted), Bob Hoskins (Unleashed) and Malcolm McDowell (Halloween).